Jungle recovery device



. 1969 s. e. PUGH 3,476,339

JUNGLE RECOVERY DEVICE Filed Feb. 21, 1968 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR BILLY GENE PUGH A TTORNE Y Nov. 4, 1969 B. G. PUGH JUNGLE RECOVERY DEVICE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Feb. 21, 1968 FIG. 3

INVENTOP BILLY GENE PUGH BY k ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,476,339 JUNGLE RECOVERY DEVICE Billy Gene Pugh, P.O.B0x 802, Corpus Christi, Tex. 78403 Filed Feb. 21, 1968, Ser. No. 707,068 Int. Cl. B64d 25/02; A62b 1/16, 35/00 US. Cl. 244-137 3 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A device for the recovery of an individual such as military personnel from an area ens'hrouded in dense growth. The device, in the compact condition, penetrates tangled foliage and moves downward by gravity action through a jungle entanglement. The device may be readily opened by a person to be rescued and as the device moves to an open position a seat member shifts to an operative position and a canopy is disposed over the individual supported on the seat member preventing dislodgement or injury to the individual while the device is lifted through the foliage.

The invention relates to a device for recovering personnel from areas where there is dense growth such as a jungle and the invention pertains to a unit which may be lowered through the foliage where it is readily opened by an individual to be rescued. The device includes means for protecting the individual from dislodgement from the device while it is being lifted through tangled growth.

In military operations in the tropical zones particularly, military personnel is often trapped in back of enemy lines and in an area where there is dense foliage. The individual may be located by radio signals but it has been diflicult to rescue such persons because they are often injured by the tree limbs or the like when conventional harness is employed to lift such individual onto a helicopter.

An object of the present invention is to provide a device which is of a compact character in the closed condition and which may be lowered through dense growth into the presence of an individual to be rescued and the device is so constructed that it may be readily opened to provide a seat for the individual and to provide a canopy over the person supported on the seat which serves to prevent dislodgement from the device and also serves to prevent injury to the person being rescued.

Other and further objects and features of the invention will be appreciated and become apparent as the present disclosure proceeds and upon consideration of the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the annexed drawings wherein an exemplary embodiment of the invention is disclosed.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is an elevational view of the device in closed and compact condition.

FIG. 2 is a side view of the device in the open position.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view on a larger scale taken on the line 33 of FIG. 2 and with some of the structure shown in elevation.

FIG. 4 is an inverted plan view taken on the line 4-4 of FIG. 3 illustrating the locking device within the lower casing.

Referring to the drawings, identifies a cable which may extend from a helicopter to the device where the cable is secured to an eyelet 11 attached to the upper end of an inverted cup-shaped casing 12. A second cup-shaped casing 14 forms the lower end of the device. The eyelet 11 is mounted at the upper end of the central shaft 15. An umbrella-type canopy or awning 16 is shown in its open position in FIG. 2. In the folded closed condition of the ice device, the lower ends of the elements 31 of the canopy are positioned within the upper edge portion of the lower casing 14.

The device in the closed and compact condition, as shown in FIG. 1, may be opened by pulling a flexible strap 17 which serves to release a detent 18 permitting a stem 19 and its enlarged end portion to escape from the detent 18.:The release of the detent is accomplished by a swingable lever 21 and a flexible coupling element 22 which extends through an opening in the lower casing 14. The lever 21 spreads apart the oppositely facing plates 23 and 24;

.A plurality of telescopic tubular members 26 and 27 and 28-join the upper and lower casings. When the device is in the closed position the three tubular members are in a collapsed or compact position. In the open position the tubular members are secured in the extended positions by means of locking devices 29 mounted at the upper end of the larger diameter tubular members and each locking device extends into an opening in the associated tubular member.

The canopy '16 in the extended or open position as shown in FIG. 2, is formed of a plurality of elongated sheet material elements 31 which extend from the lower edge of the upper casing 12 in an arrangement suggestive of wide ribs of an umbrella. The elongated sheet material elements 31 are broader in proceeding towards the outer ends. The side edge portions of the elements 31 overlap as shown in FIG. 2. The free end portions of elements 31 are strengthened by arcuate reinforcing members 32 mounted on the under surface of each of the elements 31. The upper end portions of the elements 31 are pivotably mounted on the casing 12 as shown at 33 in FIG. 3.

Resilient means in the form of a helical spring 34 is disposed about the upper end portion of the shaft 25. The spring 34 exerts pressure against a collar 36 which in welded to the stem 15 and the shaft 25 and presses against the upper end of the tubular member 28. Means for swinging the arcuate elements 31 to their extended posi-. tion is provided by elastic members 38 and cords or cable-s 37 secured to the collar 36 and to the inner end portions of the elements 31. Each cord passes under a pulley mounted on the upper end of the member 28 and is then secured to the end of an element 31 exerting a pull on the upper end thereof. There are four sets of elastic means forshifting the canopy to an open position. The four elongated elements actuated by the cords engage and swing adjacent elements to the open position because of the overlapping of the side portions of the elements 31. The elastic members 34 tend to hold the outer ends of the elements 31 in the extended position.

Seat members 40 are pivotally secured at 41 to a collar 42 mounted on lower portion of the tubular member 26. The seat members 40 are folded alongside of the tubular members when the device is in a compact condition. The seat members pivot to positions substantially at right angles to the tubular members when the device is opened. The upper edge of the casing 14 limits the downward swinging of the seat members.

A harness 45 as shown in FIG. 2 may be secured to the upper portion of the tubular member 28. The harness is adapted to encircle the torso of an individual supported on a seat member.

While the invention has been described with reference to specific structural details, it will be appreciated that changes may be made in the components as well as the over-all assembly. Such modifications and others may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

What is claimed and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. A device for lifting an individual from an area enshrouded with foliage comprising, an upper inverted cupshaped casing, a lower cup-shaped casing, collapsed telescoping tubular members joining said casings, a plurality of elongated sheet material elements pivotally mounted at their upper ends on the upper casing surrounding said tubular members with lower ends, of said lements extending within the upper portion of said lower casing, releasable means including a detent maintaining said tubular members in said collapsed position and the casings in positions retaining said elements within the cross-sectional areas of the casings whereby the device in a compact condition may move by gravity downwardly through foliage, said tubular members being extensible upon release of said detent whereby the casings may be moved away from each other, a seat member shiftable to a position substantially at right angles to said tubular members, and means for moving the sheet material elements to extended positions forming a canopy over said seat member to deflect foliage from an individual supported on said sheet memher.

2. A device for recovering an individual from an area References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,941,763 6/1960 Oleksij 244138 FOREIGN PATENTS 814,599 3/1937 France.

MILTON BUCHLER, Primary Examiner T. W. BUCKMAN, Assistant Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 182-7 

